APPLETON, Wis. – After nearly a week off after its season opener against Hamline, the University of Northwestern Men's Basketball team was back in action Friday night for the first leg of a back-to-back in eastern Wisconsin. The Eagles squared off with Lawrence University, who entered the contest 2-0 on the season. A raucous, home-opening crowd in Alexander Gym was treated to a dandy of a game, which included a 35-point explosion from Northwestern's
Japheth Nyamari (Anoka, Minn./Anoka). UNW led well into the second half, but was unable to hang on as the Vikings emerged the victors by a 72-67 score.
Nyamari got going early, scoring Northwestern's first seven points of the game. The Eagles trailed 12-5 early, but rattled off nine-in-a-row to take a 14-12 lead thanks to four points from Nyamari, three from
Will Foster (Eden Prairie, Minn./Eden Prairie) and two off the bench from
Blake Dalluge (Rogers, Minn./Rogers). The first half featured nine lead changes and a handful of scoring runs for each side, including an 11-0 one for UNW as
Jacob Hoefs (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Mountain Vista) and
AJ Greene (Roseville, Minn./Concordia Academy) joined the box score, giving the Eagles what would be their largest lead of the night. Lawrence scored seven-straight to pull within one, but had no defensive answer for Nyamari, as the senior finished the first half with 21 points to his name. Greene's layup with 2:49 on the clock would end up being the final points of the frame as the visitors went to the locker room with a 37-33 lead in their pocket.
Northwestern's lead got to five after consecutive Nyamari jumpers, but the Vikings surged ahead with a 9-0 run. Hoefs ended the drought to pull the Eagles within two, then layups from
Ben Tschida (Andover, Minn./Legacy Christian Academy) and Foster put UNW back in front by a bucket. Lawrence responded with another 9-0 sequence to go up seven, but Northwestern trimmed the deficit to three with 4:41 left in the game. Nyamari went hero mode, scoring UNW's next eight points, including a highlight-reel and-one, to pull within one at 68-67 with 52 seconds to play, but the Vikings used their size advantage to get a low-post bucket with 27 seconds remaining. Nyamari hoisted up a deep three-point attempt on the other end, but was off the mark. A pair of free throws by the hosts made it a two-possession game and ended the scoring at 72-67 after a hard-fought battle by both sides.
Nyamari's 35 points were a career-high and puts him over 30 points in both 2025-26 games thus far. The senior also pulled down eight rebounds and shot 57.7% from the floor on 26 attempts. Foster was UNW's next-highest scorer with eight points and added five boards and four assists, while Dalluge scored seven off the bench, all in the first half. Greene scored six points and dished out five assists, while Hoefs contributed four assists. Tschida and
Jonah Burnett (Orr, Minn./North Woods) each recorded six rebounds. Much of the Eagles' success could be contributed to the turnover margin, where they committed just five and forced 13.
It will be a quick turnaround for Northwestern, who will make the short drive south to Plymouth, Wisconsin, to take on Lakeland University, Saturday at 3:00 PM.
